Does your attic need more insulation ? (icicles on the roof test)

Two houses on the same side of the street that get the same amount of sun should have the same amount of icicles.

What causes icicles ? 

You have snow on the roof that melts, as the water runs off it freezes. This means two houses in the same conditions should have the same amount of icicles, It's that simple. 

If you have little to no insulation in your attic this would mean your heat is escaping through your ceiling into your attic and melting the snow on your roof !

Here is a few pictures showing two houses next door to each other as you can see the house on the right has icicles more than 2 feet long. The house on the left doesn't have a single icicle.

A few things to keep in mind.

The house on the left has Xmas lights on it.

1. These lights don't put off heat to melt and remove icicles

2. I can personally assure you that these lights haven't been turned on for the past month

Temperature the houses are kept at...

Let's say one house keeps their inside temp at 65 degrees and the other house 70 degrees. The proper amount on insulation in the attic would keep heat from escaping, It's that simple.